Sunshine People

I had do redo my final year of school.  I had done Gr 11 and 12 in one year through correspondence course.  It was a stupid time and I failed to get a university exemption. 

My final year of school was hard.  My family had moved to the city from a small town, my father had lost his job, my mother was in depression and I felt like a failure.  As so many people do (even you, maybe?) I went to my trusty women's magazine to find direction, to find anything that would make me feel a little more like something.  One of the articles had to do with "choosing sunshine people" so you could be a "sunshine person".  At the time I had one friend, a guy, I think his name was Daniel, and he was a rain cloud and if I was going to be a sunshine person I had to lose the rain cloud, does that make sense? 

Do you have that one person who is a Debbie-downer (sorry Debbie) or a sad-Sam (sorry Sam, you are allowed to be sad)? Have you noticed that when you around them you start to feel a little blue?  

Do you push away your rain clouds so you can be sunshine?

...............

I was walloped in the face with this revelation this morning:

other people are not responsible for my emotional well being. 

I live in a communal type environment, my family of 5 shares a home with my mother and my 15 year old sister (the home is their's and they are kind), I work in a female dominated environment (it's a real thing), my husband runs a church and I am a mother.  I am constantly around other people and their emotions.

It is as though I am riding a roller-coaster that I have no control over, 

but I chose to climb aboard.

Here's the deal folks, I am the only person responsible for my emotional well-being and you are responsible for yours. Please understand, I am not saying that you won't be hurt if I say something hurtful, I know I will be hurt if you say something hurtful to me.  The thing I am saying is this, if I rely on Emiel for my happiness, I will find myself unhappy. If I rely on my children for my peace, I will find myself unsettled.  

How do we become sunshine people without pushing rain clouds away?

1. We become sunshine people when we choose to love ourselves and others
2. We become sunshine people when we take responsibility for our own emotions
3. We become sunshine people when we give others the freedom to feel 
4. We become sunshine people when we give ourselves the freedom to feel 

If you are having rain cloud day go to source of life, find your peace there, find your joy there, because the other rain clouds are needing you to love them.   We need to love people.

 

With love 

Philippa 

And honestly, this post was for me.